Star
by Aomine
Summary: On a whim, Aomine requests something of Kuroko and surprisingly, Kuroko obliges to it. CHP2: Alternate endings. / Boys Love - AoKuro.
1. I

**Star **

A gentle whisper of the wind tickled the skins of the _Shadow_ and the _Ace_ as the night dawned into the hour that is 7 PM. An idle basketball sat comfortably by a metal fence as the two who occupied the court accompanied it. Kuroko, with his spine up against the pole that held the basket took in a deep breath, feeling a pair of eyes upon him. Aomine, who leaned upon the metal fence, partially parallel to the Shadow, was the culprit of laying his eyes onto Kuroko but he didn't seem to care that he was found guilty. Their atmosphere read as cold and silent and yet none felt uncomfortable underneath each other's presence. Could it be past relations that had ceased their tight tension or was it just their personalities? Whatever it was, they were grateful to pass the boundaries of tautness. But this comfortable silence can only go for so long—Aomine knew it and so did Kuroko. The real question was; how long will it take until one of them… breaks?

"Aomine-kun?" The Shadow spoke, breaking what seemed a lifetime of hush. The said teen merely responded with an audible sound to suggest he was listening before Kuroko went on, "Can you please say something?" He requested, receiving a twisted look upon the Ace's facial expression. Aomine looked at the older one, trying to see where this conversation was supposed to lead to but nothing could be seen in Kuroko's blank but neutral state. Now Aomine could understand why Midorima never liked Kuroko—he could never tell what the latter was thinking.

The Shadow waited for the other's answer, but he wasn't really expecting much. How was one supposed to reply to such a sketchy question? And that was just the thing—Aomine didn't know how to answer. More like, the answer he replied with wasn't with words, per se.

The Ace, after a short interval once words have been spoken, leaned forward in a suggestive manner. A smirk accompanied with sinister eyes lurked over Kuroko before lips pressed up against lips. The Shadow barely flinched causing a spark to erupt in the pits of Aomine's stomach. The Ace slipped the tip of his tongue into the unresponsive mouth of Kuroko before gliding the rest in; some sort of fruit taste filing his own mouth. A faint sucking noise escaped their lips as Aomine continued to make his advancements onto the smaller figure. Warmth contradicted the atmosphere that surrounded them both as their insides heated up. Kuroko still remained unaffected by the acts of Aomine as the latter slowly gave up trying to faze the other. The Ace eventually parted, retreating back into his original position against the metal fence, with a distressed smirk upon his lips.

"Aomine-kun. I requested you say _something_, not the opposite." Kuroko corrected, composed and all.  
"You're really demanding." Aomine, finally spoke in an annoyed tone, "Besides, I'm not obliged to do whatever you say." He childishly said.  
"I would prefer it if you had said that instead of kissing me." Kuroko suggested, receiving a slight chuckle from the Ace.  
"There you go again, demanding as you please." Aomine sighed, huffing out in disbelief.  
"What are you suggesting, Aomine-kun? I'm demanding? I don't see how that's much of a crime."  
"I know _that_ much."

The Shadow cocked his head to the side as if to ask the younger one what he meant by that. Aomine caught on, taking a deep breath as he debated on whether or not he should tell Kuroko what's on his mind, "It's just that—I don't find your requests annoying."  
"So? What's the real problem that seems to be troubling you?" The Shadow pressed on, knowing there's more than Aomine's letting on.  
He sighed deeply, "What's annoying is that…"

_You—even though you're so weak, you still manage to drag me into your demands. _

"Never mind." Aomine grumbled under his breath in a tone that told Kuroko to _back off_. The Shadow—it was his turn to catch on so he retreated his line of questioning, at least for the time being—however long that may last, "Whatever. It's your turn to fulfil my wishes."  
"When have we been taking turns, Aomine-kun?" Kuroko asked, unintentionally breaking his vow of not questioning within two seconds of creating it.  
"Shut up. I've been taking your crap all day so you can at least fulfil a mere wish." Aomine suggested. _Shit, I slipped up._

"So that's what this stubborn attitude's coming from? I've made simple requests and you're annoyed at yourself for obliging to them?" Kuroko deducted, hitting the bull's eye. Aomine tsked, frustrated at how _easily_ the Shadow can read him and yet it doesn't work vice versa. Kuroko thought of the silence the Ace provided as a chance to prove that his observation was right, and to also change the subject, "What is this wish you would like me to fulfil?"

Aomine's intimidating gaze lied upon Kuroko as something sinister wracked through his mind. His eyes then eased into a slightly less fearful one as his lips parted to speak, "Will you do it if I ask?" Aomine wanted Kuroko to speak words he can't really go back on otherwise this won't be any… fun.  
"I presume it would only be fair. I did ask you to help me to shoot so I don't see why I can't do what you want." The Shadow supposed.  
"Tetsu, I want you to kiss me." Aomine, upon hearing Kuroko's response, fired off his wish with no hesitation in his confident voice.

Kuroko remained silent for no longer than a minute before heaving onto his knees. He leant forward, placing the palms of his hands onto Aomine's chest before pressing his lips briefly upon the darker-skinned male. The kiss was short and chaste but it was enough to ignite a fire in the pit of Aomine's stomach once more. Just before Kuroko pulled away, the Ace spoke, "I'm going to need a little more than that, _Tetsu_. _Kiss me like you mean it._"  
Why was he acting like this? He didn't know. But what really surprised him wasn't his weird behaviour—it was when Kuroko _actually_ obliged to another, more meaningful kiss.

The Ace was genuinely joking but those soft lips that moved against his own—it's hard for him to break the moment they had. An arm reached out and constricted itself around Kuroko's build; it pulled the smaller teen over Aomine to the point where the Shadow's legs were on either side of the Ace's hips. Aomine was stunned at how Kuroko was easy to manoeuvre—it was as if the latter was willing. Well, Aomine would find it upsetting if Kuroko didn't enjoy these acts but it was strange. He really wasn't expecting such behaviours from Kuroko. It was a side to him that maybe only _he_ knows of. That thought excited him to the extent that he intends to keep it that way.

Aomine sat there idly as the Shadow sustained his soft kisses. They seemed shy and unwilling to go further than a mere peck on the lips. The Ace found this to be nothing but adorable and eventually, Kuroko came to an abrupt halt. Aomine raised an eyebrow as if to question why he stopped. Kuroko sighed.  
"It's hard for me to continue if you're being unresponsive." He said, causing the Ace to crack a smile and chuckle.  
"Tetsu, that's so rich coming from you!" He continued to childishly laugh at Kuroko's statement.

Unexpectedly, Aomine was pushed deep against the metal fence that slightly bended upon impact as Kuroko smashed his lips against his. The latter's eyes grew wide at this rough experience as he received a forceful, more _confident_ kiss from his beloved Shadow. As reluctant as he was, Aomine pushed the said teen away, panting slightly as his breath was stolen away from him, "What's this all of a sudden?"  
"You're laughing." Aomine cocked his head to the side in confusion, "I haven't seen you laugh in such a long time." Kuroko confessed, sounding a little lonely.  
"Is that so?" Aomine inquired, just realizing that himself, "Well, if I'm getting this kind of response from you, then I'll laugh every single day."

星

Clouds that painted the sky cried its tears in the form of rain. It was unpredicted but it couldn't be helped. Neither Kuroko nor Aomine carried an umbrella since the forecast anticipated clear skies so talking shelter was their next option. And take shelter, they did. Nearing the courts laid a pair of silver benches underneath a wooden crown. It somehow resembled a bus stop but no bus would halt in such a place. It may be narrow by just a bit, but it was enough for the two of them. The cold, chilly air could be the death of them, so they stayed in a compromising position; Aomine lied along the bench that was wide enough to fit his figure with a hand placed underneath his head to act as some sort of pillow. Kuroko lied upon Aomine's body; his hands underneath his chest as his head pressed against the Ace's. Their eyes stared into the basketball court in front of them as the rain showed no signs of stopping any time soon.

Kuroko was the first to shift his gaze and shift he did as his sight rested onto Aomine's face. The latter didn't seem to notice as his eyes strained themselves to watch the dark sky above. He caught a mere glimpse earlier of the heavens before the clouds rolled in and the stars were magnificent. They shone brightly and showed their beauty, even when they were light years away from our reach. Aomine then turned his head as the gaze Kuroko gave him finally received the attention it required.

"Aomine-kun?" The Shadow broke the contented silence only to obtain a mere 'hmm?" in response, "Is this position uncomfortable for you?"  
"Barely." The Ace objected, propping his upper body up with his elbows. Their eyes met for a brief second before locking onto each other's, "Tetsu, kiss me." He requested once more with nothing but a neutral façade to hide his true interest in what Kuroko would do.  
"As you wish, _Daiki._" Kuroko spoke, wrapping his arms around the said teen's neck before closing the space between their face with a heart-warming kiss. He wasn't sure what was to come out of the events of tonight—would they act as if this never happened or will they become something more? All Aomine knew was that it was troublesome to think of anything of that right now.

In the corner of his eye, a puddle reflected the sky which held those stars he wishes to see once again. But even though he couldn't see the stars above, he knew he could at least see the star that landed before him.

黒子のバスケ © 藤巻 忠俊  
Kuroko No Basuke


	2. II

**Star **

Aomine was right to think that whether they'd act as friends after last night's events, or would their relationship turn into something more would be troublesome but now was really the time to debate on what the outcome should be. He liked Kuroko; he really did but as he contemplated the possibilities upon his bed, his mind and his heart engaged in what seemed like a never ending strife. His mind would play out several options and depending on the hypothetical situation; his heart played the role of whether it can handle the decision or not. He knew that he should think of every possibility, every _realistic_ possibility so that he's emotionally stable for whatever fate throws his way. But little did he know, he won't know what will happen when he doesn't know the variable, aka Kuroko, in the equation will do. He's unpredictable, physically and mentally. No one knows what he's thinking which can have its ups and downs whether it's for the other party or himself.

After pondering on his options, he finally thought it was time to get ready for school. He settled on the idea that however it goes, it goes. And he would just have to enjoy the happy ending or endure the sad one. As Midorima would say, "_I follow fate_" and that's what Aomine decided to do.

[_Continue reading down for tragic ending; press Control + F and type in C231 for the happy ending]_

The sky roared in what most would call as _God's Fury_ as the clouds threatened to cry. The gym was silent but in a somewhat comforting way. Aomine lied lazily on his back upon the gym's stage; his head slightly hanging off the edge with his left arm hanging off the stage. His right hand's index finger skilfully spun a basketball with no signs of it wavering.

"Ugh, I'm tired. I don't want to move." Aomine groaned, before continuing his complaints to no one in particular, "Maybe I'm getting old." He then joked, ending that sentence with a slight chuckle, "I don't have any energy." His voice was deep and somehow slurred but he was completely sober. He knew that alcohol would damage his system so that was an obviously wrong factor as to why his voice sounded as it did. But it was maybe to show anyone who dared to listen, that he was bored and didn't really care about the words he spoke. Well, it sure as hell seemed that way. And most likely was true.

"I want to eat bread."  
"Ah? I knew you would be here!"  
"Huh?"

A new but familiar voice was heard, causing Aomine to stretch his neck to see a female, causing the ball he was spinning to fall and hit the cleanly polished floor. It bounced far away from within his reach but the Ace couldn't really care less at that point.  
"Did you fake being sick to skip another game?" Spoke the voice. Aomine, at first couldn't match a face to that particular sound, but as it spoke again, he knew now that it was none other than Momoi Satsuki, his childhood friend. Maybe he was getting old, as predicted.

"We'll win anyway. It's too much work." He replied, looking at her upside-down, sounding a tad bit annoyed at her pestering.  
"Sheesh!" She sighed, placing a hand on her hip, physically showing _her_ annoyance, "Anyway, it sounds like Tetsu-kun and Midorin are playing against each other right now!" She informed, "Maybe Tetsu-kun will win." She took a step forward as what little light that seeped through into the gym splashed against her face, revealing her unusually coloured eyes and creamy-pink hair, "After all, he's the man I fell in love with." She took a bite out of her ice-block; an ice-block that started her affection towards Kuroko as her face looked as though she's reminiscing of the past.

Aomine sat upwards before turning his body around so that his legs hung off the edge of the stage, "Love, huh?" He subconsciously said.  
"Hmm? What about love?" Momoi asked, nibbling on the edge of her ice-block, completely oblivious to the tragic tone in his voice.

It's been three years since Aomine's ears heard that word and it's also been three years since he's seen the Shadow Momoi spoke so fondly of. He knew that he should follow whatever came his way that fateful day after he and Kuroko locked lips, but his mind refused to let things flow. Before he knew it, he drifted away from Kuroko and the rest of the Generation of Miracles, burying himself in the sport of Basketball to the point where his skill is unstoppable. Worry really consumed him, which drove him to the craze of bettering himself. It was as if to make up for the emotional struggles he had during that time.

But now that he thinks about it, did he really have to do anything at all? Did they really have to mention that night? The answer is—  
"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Momoi suddenly spoke out, sounding annoyingly offended that he wasn't paying any attention to her. Aomine barely replied—instead, he stared longingly at the ball that rolled away from his touch. He continued to stare, as he heard more complaints come from his childhood friend. His mind was blank and suddenly he slid himself off the stage, shutting Momoi's lips.  
"Dai-chan..? What's wrong?" She asked, as she finally caught on the shift of attitude. He again, did not reply as he walked casually out of the gym, acting as if she wasn't even there. Momoi wanted to pursue his tracks but she felt it would accomplish nothing.

Outside, the rain began to sprinkle against the dry pavement—the gloomy atmosphere seeping into his system. He didn't know where he was going nor did he have anything in his mind— he just kept on walking. It was that time in his life where _what if_ became a big question. Sure, he's thought of _what if I had held back a little, _or _what if I hadn't had the lunch special before that one game_ but in the context of a _certain emotion_, _what if_ sounded like a scary thing to think about. That feeling—it was the same feeling he felt when his mind and his heart tore apart his decision that day.

He found himself sitting underneath the walkway between the gym and the main school building, the rain failing to slow down. His body began to feel cold as the wind decided to join the equation but none of that fazed him; he just watched—not looking at anything in particular. He wasn't sure what exactly triggered his abnormal behaviour but in the back of his mind, he sort of knew it had something to do with a certain Shadow.

Aomine was never the type to move away from someone else's company unless it was really necessary in which that wasn't the case right now with Momoi. He didn't mind her presence but how she spoke so freely and fondly of Kuroko kind of annoyed him—made him somewhat jealous.

Could that be it? Was the reason he strayed away from the one person who _actually_ meant something to him because he couldn't freely express his feelings towards Kuroko with the entire world watching? He never used to care what others think but for some, idiotic reason, he let his fears of 'being caught' get the best of him. He sighed in disbelief at that realization as a flood of regret filled his system. He slowly, but surely began to hate himself because something stupid messed with his head. He should have just gone by with instincts but unknown logic took over.

His phone began to buzz, startling the Ace. Aomine reached into his pocket, reluctant to answer but nevertheless, did.

"Aomine-kun?" spoke a calm, familiar voice.  
"Ah, Tetsu. What's wrong?" Aomine said in a neutral tone.  
"I was just about to ask you the same thing." Kuroko inquired, "Momoi-san told me you're acting strange. Are you okay?"  
_No, I'm not okay. I'm less than okay, _"I'm fine. What's with the concern?"  
"Nothing—I just thought if I asked, you would open up to me." Kuroko explained, "_Oi, Kuroko! We're gonna be late!"_

Aomine heard an unfamiliar voice in the background through the receiver.  
"I'll be right there, Kagami-kun." Kuroko replied to that voice before speaking to Aomine, "Are you sure you're fine?"  
"Yeah, I am. What are you late for?" Aomine asked fairly straight forwardly.  
"Kagami-kun's taking me somewhere to eat since the match ended." Kuroko informed.  
"You won, eh? Congrats." Aomine said, "So, are you guys going out or something?" the Ace then joked.  
"Yeah, something like that." The Shadow replied, ending that sentence with a hint of a smile.

_[Tragic Ending, completed.] _

星

_[C231]_ Aomine, with his hands in his pockets, climbed the familiar stairs on the way to school. It was such a bothersome task and it often was the obstacle he did not wish to overcome, but he had all reason to do so. He was nervous in all honesty and for the first time in a long time, he wanted to chicken out. His throat grew dry as the palms of his hands began to sweat. He was over thinking the situation all over again, and it really irked him. Suddenly, a voice that wasn't his own came into his head which caused him to stop in his tracks up the stairs.

_What do you want, Dai-chan?_

"Satsuki?" He spoke out loud in attempts to identify that voice. He glanced around to only find out that the woman in question was nowhere to be seen. He sighed, rubbing his temples in somewhat distress by _her_ words. Shaking his head, he continued to walk up the stairs as that figment of his imagination seemed to have dispersed away in his mind rather quickly. Aomine then thought that today was the most he's ever thought of something in his entire life, and it was fairly tiresome. _No more thinking for now, at least_. Yeah, his conscience settled nicely on that statement as he finally reached the top of the stairs and onto the footpath.

_Answer the question, Dai-chan._

Momoi's voice spoke at him once more, but this time it was firm and demanding, unlike the first. He turned around; female school students were behind him but none of them flaunted long, pink hair. He let out an annoyed groan, turning back to face the direction of the school before walking upon the path.  
"What do _I_ want?" Aomine then absent-mindedly asked, stopping at a traffic light, "How the _hell _do I know what she's on about?"  
"Who's on about what, Daiki?"

Aomine's heart stopped for a millisecond as that familiar voice startled him, "Akashi, what are you doing here?"  
"I'm going to school, probably as you are." He said, looking straight ahead and not giving Aomine much attention.  
"Right." The Ace mumbled, suddenly feeling a dose of uncomfortable air surround him.  
"Allow me to take a stab in the dark." The Captain proposed as the lights turned green. Aomine didn't reply seeing as he would do so regardless of his answer, "You should listen to whatever _she_ is_ on_ about, despite you may or may not knowing whatever cryptic thing _she_ is saying and just do whatever comes first to mind." He wisely spoke, as the two of them reached the other side of the road.

"You don't even know who _she_ is, do you?" Aomine asked, rolling his eyes. The Captain swiftly ignored him.  
"Take the next left and get to school from there." Akashi suddenly ordered, gesturing the direction with his finger.  
"Why should I?" The Ace questioned, following Akashi's finger as it directed his line of sight to the forked road ahead.  
"It's a detour. Just do it."  
"I'll be late." Aomine objected.  
"You're not one to be punctual, right Daiki?"

Aomine wasn't sure if he should be happy or offended at the red-head's comment but before he could make up his mind, Akashi had already drifted forward in a way that strongly suggested he do as he said. Rolling his eyes, he thought he would amuse the short Captain by taking that detour away from the school. He wasn't sure why Akashi was acting that way, or why he even showed up when he did, but it must be for some reason, right? He was so dense right now; even Kise might be able to sway his decisions.

The path he took led him to an empty but calm walkway; a riverbed he never knew existed accompanied the path, trees grew, covering industrial buildings as a bridge followed up ahead in the distance. He took a deep breath in hopes that this path will eventually lead him to something worthwhile. Hands in pockets, his mind wandered; it didn't think of anything in particular as the scenery was fairly foreign to him. It sort of made some sort of sense that Akashi would know this places' existence—it actually _screamed_ him. It was peaceful and even though it may not seem that way, peaceful really described the short Captain.

He drew near to the bridge he saw off in the distance to only find that it was almost an underground tunnel. By _almost_, it meant that the tunnel was fairly large and light shone through either side. With every step, he came closer until finally he was under it. It really amazed him; a river divided the two footpaths in the middle, streaming slowly through that bridge-like-tunnel as the brick walls that made up the architect were covered in street art. By two footpaths, it means that through the tunnel, there were only two places one could travel under—left side or right. Aomine took the right side since he found it to be troublesome to travel to the other side.

His head moved around, allowing his eyes to examine the art that stretched all the way up the ceiling. Words were splattered across the bricks as the Ace attempted to read them; _hope, faith, strength—_they were unusually corny words to accompany such strong visual images but he just went with it. It wasn't until then that he realised that the art had even spread onto the floor. The entire path that lied underneath the tunnel was littered in words and images; _despair, sorrow, fault. _It basically gave the opposite feeling from the words on the ceiling.

A trail of words that caught his eye that drifted into the river. Those words read, '_You'll never be able to wash away the pain.'_ The placing was clever but chillingly fearsome—it gave Aomine an uncomfortable feeling as he followed those words as it entered the water. The last couple of words were faded, most like due to the fact that they were literally being _washed away. _Such irony they held, but nonetheless, were powerful.

"Why the hell did I even—"

His own sentence was cut off as he sensed another presence other than his own. That figure walked towards him, seeming as though they hadn't notice his existence before stopping few feet in front of him. Aomine realised that the figure was reading a book, explain why it took so long for them sense him.  
"Tetsu?" The Ace identified as the said teen placed his book into his bag.  
"Aomine-kun, what are you doing here? Schools' in the other direction." Kuroko informed, slightly surprised but showed no signs of it.  
"Yeah, I know—Captain told me though, to come here."

"Let's head off to school together then." Kuroko suggested, hesitating a little before walking pass his Light.  
"Tetsu, wait." Aomine spoke out, grabbing onto the Shadow's arm. Kuroko halted almost routinely, turning his head to look over his shoulder at Aomine.  
"Aomine-kun? What's wrong?" the smaller one asked, walking back to stand in front of him.  
"Last night." Was all that Aomine said. Those two words made Kuroko's insides swell up and heated. It took him some time to compose and collect his thoughts before replying.  
"What about _last night_." Kuroko really had trouble speaking the last couple of words without thinking of what they spoke of.

"We should really…" Aomine looked around the area to search for the words say but nothing spoke out to him.  
"Aomine-kun, we'll be late if we just stand around here." Kuroko spoke neutrally, trying to hide the fact that he was changing the subject.  
"I know, but I think last night was just… us making demands, requests—if you want. Nothing more, right?"

What was he saying? Aomine definitely wanted more, but seeing and confronting the unpredictable Kuroko up right in person, his mind spoke the wrong words.

"So in other words… It was a mistake?" Kuroko inquired with his eyebrows subtly frowning.  
"Yes!" Aomine innocently and unintentionally spoke, "It was a mistake and we should just forget about it. We don't need that kind of poison around." The Ace then turned on his heel into the direction of where he came from as his mind genuinely thought he had said the right thing. All those who cared to listen though, would think the complete opposite.

"Aomine-kun," Kuroko suddenly called out. The said teen looked over his shoulder to see the Shadow's arm extending forward. Shoving Aomine's shoulder to the side, Kuroko made him face him before he violently tugged at the Ace's tie, pulling him down into a kiss. It was chaste and short and before Aomine could respond, Kuroko had pulled away, walking past the taller one into the route of their school.  
"Tetsu, what was that?" Aomine called out in a deep tone. Kuroko only stopped walking but did not turn around.  
"A mistake," The Shadow replied, clenching his fists tightly in front of him where Aomine couldn't see, "I am only human, after all."

Arms constricted themselves around Kuroko's body as Aomine leaned chin on top of Kuroko's head. The Shadow felt lonely happiness as his heart pounded loudly against his chest. It was like a scene in those dramas where two people feel the same way about each other but were afraid to speak their mind and tell the other. And then suddenly, one figures out their sure emotions, embracing the one who walks away first from behind. Kuroko did feel the same way Aomine probably does but the Ace's words confused his certainties. Yeah, this was definitely a scene from a drama.

Aomine leant in close before whispering into the Shadow's ear, "If that's the case, then let's keep making mistakes."

黒子のバスケ © 藤巻 忠俊  
Kuroko No Basuke


End file.
